The Living
by Razzella
Summary: Life is for the living, so live it, or you're better off dead.
1. Chapter 1

The end of the world sucked. You may be thinking, "Well, obviously it sucked, Annie, it's the end of the _world_." But let me just say, things were approximately seventy percent less awful before I went stumbling across the Commonwealth. Armed with a pistol and my lab coat, I had been forced to escape the Institute with a few of my fellow scientists before it was blown to shit. There were twelve of us when we started, and now it was down to three. We were smart, sure, but trying to figure things out in the world was a lot different when you were actually in it, versus the safety of a lab.

"Annie…" Parkers voice trailed off softly. I rolled my eyes as I turned to him, irritated to find his pupils were once again blown wide. Selling chems to the random settler we came across had paid off well enough for us to get some real gear. My lab coat had been replaced with leather armor fairly quickly the first time I got shot. If I'd realized how _painful_ that was – not even mentioning the pain of using the stimpaks themselves – I would have worked on making an edible healer. The issue with selling chems, however, was that Parker couldn't seem to stop using up most of our supply. Sure, life was hard right now; probably the hardest any of us had ever experienced, but we didn't have time to be foolish like this.

"What, Parker– Fuck!" My exasperated response was cut off when my companions head promptly exploded and I ducked behind cover, not even looking to see where Maddison had taken off to. None of us had really been friends, but after a month of dodging certain death together, we'd formed a comradery I assumed most people in the Wastelands had. We were close to Goodneighbor now; sure, it wasn't an ideal place for a former Institute scientist to hide, but considering the other options were trying to make a run for Diamond City – which was a few miles further than I was sure I could make – or tying to hide in unfamiliar territory, I'd risk it.

"Maddison!" I yelled out for her over the rain of gunfire, eyes scanning the area. It took me all of two seconds and a frightened peek around the car I was hiding behind to realize she had shared the same fate as Parker. Her glossy, dead eyes stared at me in an almost accusing way. This had been my terrible idea. Everyone knew Goodneighbor was full of junkies and we could have made a killing if we had just made it. I could hear the catcalls and laughter that raiders usually did when they killed people. I could never understand taking so much pleasure in killing another person, but their voices sounded distant, which meant that they were probably using a machine gun blindly. Or sniping. But considering the fact bullets were coming down like rain, I was leaning towards the latter.

The moment the street grew quiet I bolted, assuming they had taken time to reload. I was pleased to find I was correct when I heard shouts and various curses before a few shots were fired off. One of them grazed my thigh but I pushed through the initial shock of the pain. I was close enough to Goodneighbor that I could see the glow of the neon sign bouncing off the wall of a nearby building. To say I was startled when a rope wrapped promptly around my neck like a noose would be an understatement. The raider bastard that caught me cackled when I screeched, hoping and praying someone was close enough to hear my strangled cries for help as I was literally pulled across the asphalt. When I was in stomping distance, the rather large man brought his foot down on my stomach, knocking the wind out of me and probably cracking some ribs.

"Stupid bitch." He grumbled as my vision began to tunnel from the lack of oxygen. His grin glared down at me for a moment before I heard a gunshot and suddenly the rope wasn't so tight around my throat. I gasped for air, scrambling to reorient myself as my savior took to shooting people somewhere behind us. I vaguely recognized the cropped black hair and those silver eyes as the man who had thrown me into this predicament smiled pleasantly at me.

"Are you alright?" I wanted to punch him square in his stupid kind face. The Sole Survivor of Vault 111 – the man who killed Father and was _kind_ enough to let a few of us escape before nuking the Institute. Thrusting us into this shitty world and expecting us to survive when we'd never known hunger or violence or illness. Six of us had died from radiation poisoning shortly after our escape!

"No." I breathed, my heart still thundering as adrenaline pumped through my veins. "No, uh, I almost died." I blurted out, and he looked like he was stifling a laugh.

"First near death experience?" His eyebrow rose at my nod, and I realized I'd probably made a critical mistake. He looked me over quickly, searching for something, before I saw a look of understanding cross his face. The kindness he'd shown me previously melted into an impassive mask.

"You're one of the Institute scientists, huh? What are you doing outside of Goodneighbor of all places?" Crossing his arms, he leaned against the brick building behind him, watching me with no expression. It was no surprise he had picked up on it. My companions and I were often mistaken for Vault dwellers for our naivety and lack of survival skills; not even mentioning the vast difference in our appearances versus the others in the Wasteland. I righted my emotional state and tried not to spew anymore about myself than was necessary, brushing a stray strand of red hair behind my ear.

"Trying to survive like everybody else." I muttered, feeling every bit like a child being reprimanded by her dad. There was a pang in my chest at that, and suddenly I really missed my parents. I was only twenty three when everything got blown to shit; my family had been alive and well before Father made the mistake of letting this asshole in on the Institutes secrets.

"And you're alone?" The follow-up question seemed more a surprised statement than a real question, but I found myself answering anyway.

"I wasn't until about five minutes ago." Something akin to pity crossed his features for a moment and I narrowed my eyes slightly. I didn't need anyone's pity, least of all his. An apology for ruining my life? Sure, but not pity. I was doing just fine, all things considered.

"Well, I wouldn't let anyone else know if I were you. Names Nate, by the way. I'll escort you to wherever you're going if you want. Goodneighbor can be a rough town." I wanted to tell him to go to Hell, but the slow-forming bruise on my neck and the throb from where I'd been grazed by a bullet reminded me it probably was safer. I hadn't even thought to pull my pistol on the guy who was strangling me; the weapon was still firmly in its holster on my hip.

"I'm Annabelle. Annie, for short." I took his extended hand and shook it. It was simpler just to pretend I didn't know who he was. Nate walked to the door and pushed it open for me, gesturing me to enter first and I resisted the urge to sneer at him.

"You have the _worst_ timing." I jerked to attention at the low rasp of the man I recognized as Hancock. It took several minutes to process that he was speaking to Nate and not me when the two men clasped hands in greeting, grinning at one another. Goodneighbor wasn't as scary as I had thought it would be, I decided as I looked around. Which could have just been because I was standing next to the two scariest people _in it_ and they seemed friendly enough. I'd heard horror stories about the ghoul who ran this town, but he seemed like he was just like every other person trying to get on out in this Hell.

Up until he turned and promptly stabbed a man in the neck, that is. Nate seemed completely unfazed other than a roll of his eyes, but I went stiff as a board. The older man seemed to notice because he smirked at my surprised expression. I felt like there was definitely some context I must be missing when he sighed wistfully and turned his black eyes on me.

"Welcome to Goodneighbor. Names Hancock." He seemed to be moments from cackling; I could only assume it was due to my expression, so I tried to coach it back to impassive.

"Thanks. I, uh, I'm Annie." I shifted uncomfortably at his smirk, and was grateful when his attention went back to Nate. Hancock had helped in destroying the Institute, but for some reason the anger I felt for Nate didn't extend to his companion. Maybe because Hancock hadn't tricked everyone near and dear to me into thinking they understood the Institutes ideals, then stabbed them all in the back.

"New friend of yours?" The dark-haired man glanced at me from the corner of his eye, shrugging almost sheepishly when I turned my attention elsewhere pointedly. I just wanted to drop off the chems and get out of this town. Guilt prickled in my chest when I realized I'd just left Maddison and Parkers bodies out in the street to rot, but I consoled myself with the fact that it was probably just a bit of survivors guilt. They were dead, after all, what did they care?

"Actually just saved her outside the city from some raiders," Irritation crawled over my skin at the idea he had saved me. Him, of all people. "She's the prickly sort." I gaped at his audacity, and Hancock snorted in laughter.

"If you'll excuse me," I muttered, slipping passed the duo as I caught sight of the man I was meant to be meeting. He waved me over subtly, so I offered my best smile to Hancock, ignoring Nate altogether. "It was nice meeting you." With that I sauntered off, doing my best to seem unbothered by the damage to my body despite my pain. _Be cool, be cool._ I chanted to myself as I turned a corner, finally relaxing slightly before approaching the man who was ducked into a nearby alley. Flipping the top off my messenger bag, I showed him the goods, watching his eyes sparkle in delight.

"300 caps for the whole bag. I almost got gutted trying to get this here." I said immediately, watching him itch at his arms irritably.

"Parker said 200." I sneered at his soft rebuttal, rolling my eyes. Of course the idiot said two hundred. He was a tool and had no concept of how much it took to actually make a profit off this stuff.

"Well, Parker is dead, and I would be just as happy to walk out of this city and not come back. Take it or leave it." The junkies expression turned grim as he continued scratching at his bare skin. It started to bleed after a moment, but he didn't seem to notice. Finally, he agreed and handed over the caps, and I dumped the pile of drugs into his own bag. I ignored the angry expression on his face and turned to leave, almost jumping out of my skin when I saw Nate waiting just outside the entrance of the alley.

"Dealer, huh?" I rolled my eyes at his curious expression. It wasn't that he sounded particularly condescending or judgmental, but I refused to be anything close to friendly with him.

"Wholesaler." I corrected a little more sharply than I'd intended. "Dopey here is going to make a killing once he gets his fix." The man looked up from his bag, apparently realizing I was talking about him before taking in Nate and scampering off with a quick nod.

"Got anything good left over?" I raised my eyebrows in mild surprise, before unzipping my personal pocket. I didn't use chems, but with Parker trying to use up all the supplies, I did tend to hide some of the good stuff from him.

"How about some Berry Mentats and Psycho Jet?" Holding the items out for him, I almost smirked when he went digging around for some caps. Most people did jump on the opportunity to get some Psycho Jet, seeing as only a select few knew how to make it to begin with.

"It's on me – for helping me out there." I stopped him as he went to hand me the money, shaking my head in refusal. "Have fun." Stepping passed him, I ignored his spluttering refusals and headed for the gate. I needed to get out of here before it got too dark or I'd be in a predicament. Of course, turning the corner I almost lurched out of my skin when I ran head-first into Hancock. Luckily he was aware enough to catch me as I stumbled backwards in alarm, keeping me from busting my ass.

"I'm so sorry." I blurted out in little more than a squeak, telling myself it was deeply inappropriate that I even recognized he smelled nice in the five seconds my face had connected with his shoulder. _Who notices that, Annabelle?_ His laughter was almost infectious as he allowed me escape his grasp; I met his twinkling eyes briefly before bolting around him. Definitely not borderline skipping as I tried to speed out of his city.


	2. Chapter 2

The next time I visit Goodneighbor, Nate seemed to have taken up permanent residence there, which was inconvenient for someone who hated every fiber of his being. But like every other enemy he had, I kept my mouth shut when I was in his territory. Him and Hancock were besties, and I was just a drifter who made good chems. This time I'd ended up with a tiny, teetering Deathclaw following me around. I'd found it initially as an egg, and been unfortunate enough to be there when it hatched and the little thing had apparently imprinted on me. It thought I was its mother, and I was grateful for the companionship, however weird it was.

Needless to say, most people didn't come anywhere near me anymore, much less were brave enough to fire off a shot my direction. Even though the little thing was small (small being relative, I suppose, since it was about the size of a large dog), it still had a mean bite and keen sense of smell. And was carnivorous. Sometimes I almost felt bad about all the little animals I'd murdered in the name of feeding my unorthodox pet, but considering I, too, enjoyed meat, it wasn't really a big deal. Predictably, anyone near the gate to Goodneighbor leapt away from me as I walked in. The tiny Deathclaw let out a low growl, only a few octaves off from sounding like its adult counterpart.

"Harper." I snapped in a low voice, watching the creatures head cock intelligently at the sound of its name before relaxing beside me. He wasn't very friendly to strangers – which was the way I wanted to keep it, honestly – but for the most part he listened to me about who he could attack and who he couldn't.

"Annie?" Nate approached from somewhere behind me, sounding surprised that I was standing before him in the flesh.

"Nate." I responded impassively, turning to meet his gaze.

"You… You have a Deathclaw following you." He informed me, sounding dumbstruck at the very idea. I tried my best not to laugh at his wide eyed gaze, but ended up cackling in a very unattractive way. Holding my stomach, my laughter became a full-body experience when Nate lurched backwards, nearly tripping over his feet as Harper moved towards him.

"His names Harper." I wiped some tears from the corner of my eye, giggling even as the small creature inched closer to the source of my amusement, sniffing the air curiously.

"Don't worry, he won't bite." I grinned as the older man stared at my pet. But then there was a hurried curse and I caught sight of Hancock fumbling with his shotgun. Before I really considered what I was doing, I'd launched in front of Harper protectively with a shout of alarm; let me just tell you, feeling yourself be embedded with bits of shotgun shell was not pleasant. In the next moment I had latched onto the deadly creature as it roared in defense of me, trying to charge at the ghoul. Nate seemed to come to life as the scaly beast practically dragged me towards Hancock in its anger; I tried to focus my mind on the situation at hand rather than my pain.

"Harper! No! Stay!" I howled, my voice seeming to bounce off the walls as my words combined with my pain. It took a few soothing strokes of his nose before he calmed enough to still and I let him go promptly, turning wild eyes to Hancock as I fell back on my ass, leaving my face level even with Harpers, who nuzzled my head against his.

"You fucking _shot me!_ " For some reason this fact seemed very surreal to me as Nate, apparently over his fear of Harper, began putting pressure on my side with what looked like a towel. The Deathclaw snapped at him with a growl, using its body to shield me from other onlookers. I grabbed onto one of his horns so he would stay close and calm, even as Hancock came out of his shock and inched closer, apologizing profusely.

"Annie, I'm gonna need you to take a deep breath." Nate said simply and I obeyed without questions, letting out a yelp of alarm when he stuck me with a stimpak. My alarm was highlighted by the quickly escalating hum I released as bits of metal began seeping out of my side. Luckily the ghoul had been far enough away that it hadn't concentrated on any one place and the wound healed fairly quickly.

"Shit, sister, I'm sorry!" Hancock had apparently forgotten my very angry pet as he kneeled down beside Nate beside me; Harper tried to jerk out of my grasp to go after him again for a brief moment, but a yank of his horn reminded him I was in charge. There was a moment I thought he might ask why I was traveling with a Deathclaw to begin with, but he didn't. Instead, he continued to look sheepish – or, as much as a ghoul could look sheepish; Hancock seemed particularly expressive considering.

"No biggie; gotta protect your people from giant carnivorous creatures. Got it." My words came out more flustered than anything and Nate stifled a snort of laughter by coughing. I gave him a withering look, feeling warmth climbing the back of my neck as the newly formed skin of my side pulled uncomfortably. Hancock grinned as I moved to stand, still holding firmly onto Harper even as I took his outstretched hand in my free one. The people of Goodneighbor had scattered once the situation righted itself, thankfully, otherwise I would have been more embarrassed by their curious stares.

"How did you even end up with that thing?" I glanced down at my companion ruefully before giving the man a half-smile.

"His egg hatched when I was trying to return him to his nest, and apparently now I'm his mother, so." I shrugged slightly, shifting my hand to rub Harpers scaly head. He made a low purring noise that made a few passerby flinch away. Hancock whistled at that, and I saw Nate shaking his head from the corner of my eye as the next words left his mouth.

"MILF. Nice." I blinked once. Twice. The evolution of Hancocks expression when mortified realization dawned on me would have been funny if the smug look of satisfaction on his face was directed at anyone else. Nate sighed somewhere to my right as I opened my mouth and closed it a few times before squeaking out an embarrassed goodbye and promptly fleeing the city, Harper in confused tow. I decided I should probably wait a few weeks before turning back up in Goodneighbor; berating myself for literally fleeing from what was actually a strange form of compliment.

Wastelanders were so strange.


	3. Chapter 3

"Eat a dick, scumbag." I spit some blood at the raider who had been beating away at me for a solid thirty minutes like I was some kind of punching bag. I'd been hunting for Harper a little outside of the abandoned settlement I'd taken up residence in when this guy had grabbed me. Harper normally scared off the wildlife before I could shoot anything, and since he was pretty much domesticated he didn't seem to be able to hunt for himself, hence why he was left guarding the house instead. I wasn't even sure why he had picked me up to begin with, but I had a few ideas, from some of the other people in the room.

I'd expected the prompt backhand, but it didn't make it hurt any less. As I blinked away stars, I made eye contact with one of the girls tied up on the floor. She'd clearly cried herself out, from the look of her red, swollen eyes. Fucking slavers. I'd decided the moment he strapped this collar around my neck I was going to give him Hell. They'd have to kill me before I let them touch me the way I knew they were planning to eventually. I just had to be broken first. The very idea made me sneer in defiance, giving the unnamed raider a glare through bruised eyes.

"Feisty one, eh?" Another man cackled somewhere behind me and, not for the first time, I struggled to escape the rope holding my arms above my head. I was positive I'd only been so defiant due to the adrenaline coursing through me; combined with my fury, it had made for a great shield from the pain. But even so there was no way I was going to be able to slip free from these ropes, no matter how hard I swung and kicked. A hand ran over my body, groping me appreciatively and I hissed irritably, thrashing once more. Luckily I was hanging in my underwear, but even so it felt disgusting.

"Hancock's paying a visit." Against my better judgement, hope blossomed in my chest. I knew he was a good man, if a bit shady.

"Seriously? He was _just_ here." Then again, he was casually visiting slavers it seemed, and he'd helped blow up my home. Unpredictable man was probably a better description. Leader. Junkie. Ghoul. Charismatic. Strangely attractive–

A slap on my ass brought my attention back to the current situation, and I snarled, rekindling my anger when they laughed. The metal door clicked closed behind them and I promptly began looking around the room for some way to get myself down. The little brunette with red eyes was shaking and it took several seconds to realize she was probably a junkie. They tended to do that to the women they captured, I remembered Carla telling me. She'd taken up to visiting me every other week after realizing I was more than willing to buy from her and get to remain in the relative safety of my little settlement.

"Hey!" I whispered, catching her attention as she began scratching at her bare arms as best she could. It took a few seconds for her to realize my hissing was to get her attention and she blinked blearily up at me. "Think you could cut me down from here?" Her hands were tied together as well, but she was able to walk around the room at least.

"They'll get mad." She muttered, looking every bit the beaten puppy as she shook her head.

"I have some chems in my bag," I tried a different approach, watching her eyes light up a bit at the prospect. "And weapons. I could get us out of here." Okay, so I was talking out of my ass. I highly doubted my ability to get two half-naked women out of Raider-Alcatraz, but the way her face twisted as she considered the idea gave me hope.

"Got any Day Tripper?" The businesswoman in me was appalled she would request one of the most difficult to manufacture drugs out of my stash, but the rational part of me remembered I was literally hanging by a rope right now.

"Girl, if we get out of here, I will give you as much Day Tripper as I can make. No charge." Something akin to amusement crossed her face before she hesitantly stood and began creeping around the room. I heard her digging through my bag before she pulled a chair up and began cutting at the rope binding my hands. There was a quiet thump as I hit the ground, barely managing to stay on my feet; I bolted for my bag, fishing around for my guns. Once I was adequately armed, I turned to my unlikely savior with a small smile and offered her a pistol, gauging her reaction.

"I can't shoot." Nodding thoughtfully, I pulled it back and clicked the safety off before shoving it into her hands.

"If someone gets to close, just point and pull the trigger. Stay low and we'll be okay." I would come back here and rip these fuckers apart as soon as I got Harper. He was probably ravenous, so that'd just make it all the more satisfying. It sounded like there were people talking just beyond the door, but a quick peek outside revealed nobody nearby, so I gently pushed it open, creeping out nervously.

The place wasn't as big as I feared it might be. We managed to find a glowing exit sign within minutes of sneaking around that was, unfortunately, just beyond what I assumed was the bosses office. I recognized the red-clad Hancock and his bodyguard; the two men who had been beating away on me were sitting across from him with their backs to me and my new friend. His bodyguard caught sight of me and I stilled in fear as an annoyed look crossed her features. Was she going to give us away? Surely she wouldn't. We held each other's eyes before she looked away, back to the two men Hancock was speaking with.

I let out a breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding and looked at the girl I was playing hero for, resisting the urge to shake her when she remained frozen in place. I pulled out an inhaler and her eyes shifted immediately to me. Passing it to her, I took the gun out of her hands and handed her my knife instead. She didn't seem to care as she got her fix, and I took several deep breaths. I just had to execute two raiders and make a run for the exit. That's all. _Fuck_.

My hands were shaking from a mixture of pain and fear; I almost jumped out of my skin when the little junkie beside me nudged me and held the Jet to my lips. Against my better judgement, I inhaled the drug as she pressed the button; the world seemed to slow around me. She gave me a smile and a nod before taking another hit and I decided I'd let enough time pass without moving. Of course, that was probably just in my head. Probably.

Shaking myself, I readied my weapons and, in one fell swoop, launched myself into the room. The two men I was targeting fumbled for their weapons, seemingly in slow motion, as I put a bullet between both their eyes.

"Whoa." I mumbled as the two jerked and then collapsed, blinking a few times as if that would help my brain catch up with what was happening. That was _so_ fast. My brunette friend stumbled in and, with more grace than I was sure I could have managed at the moment, slammed the door shut behind us and locked it as alarms went off. I'd forgotten gunshots were loud, somehow.

"Holy shit." _That voice_. Turning my gaze on Hancock, he suddenly just… _glowed_ in my vision. Like a bright halo surrounded him. I cracked a nervous half-smile as a giggle passed my lips, feeling suddenly giddy when his black eyes trailed over my body. Some part of me whispered he was checking out the damage I'd experienced, but in my addled mind, I couldn't help but be flattered.

"Whoaaaa." I repeated, dragging out the final syllable even as people banged on the door, yelling curses. Laughter bubbled up as I felt a hand grip my arm and tug me towards the exit; it took several seconds for me to realize it was Hancocks bodyguard. The other captured girl was being pulled along in her other hand, looking equally as amused as me.

"You are such a good person." I blubbered as the armored woman lead us along, almost dragging us out onto the street. She snorted and I realized I didn't know her name or – I gasped out loud, maybe a bit dramatically – the girl who'd cut me downs.

"You guys, I'm so rude." I rambled off about how rude I was, barely aware of what we were doing at all as I stumbled along; some part of me told me I should shut up because I was drawing the attention of everything nearby, but I was compelled to apologize for never asking their names.

"Sister, you need to be quiet, okay? Can you do that for me?" Hancock snickered as his bodyguard practically threw us to the ground in a nearby alley. He was crouched across from me, grinning knowingly as I blinked up at him.

"Hancock!" I blurted out, suddenly remembering he was talking to the men who had kidnapped me. My brief anger passed when I became uncomfortably aware of the fact I had his undivided attention, and rather than scold him like I'd planned, I found myself rambling once more.

"I am so fucking high. I make such good chems, oh my God." Giggling, I pressed a hand to my forehead, then flinched, shocked as pain ricocheted through my body.

"Ow." At my soft exclamation, his face darkened a bit before he dug around in his pants and pulling out a stimpak. Without saying anything, he gently took my arm and pushed the needle under my skin. I barely felt the pinch before a wave of relief rolled over my body and I knew I was beginning to heal. It'd probably take a lot more than one stimpak to fix me up, but for the moment I felt heavenly in comparison to my previous pain. I reached up and pulled him down enough I could plant a kiss on his cheek, giggling when he stiffened slightly.

"Oh My God, are you two dating?! How cute!" I had completely forgotten about the other slave girl; when I briefly turned my attention to her, Hancock managed to wriggle away from me with a chuckle.

"No! He's just… Hancock! I really like Hancock. He's so nice, even though he shot me that one time." I informed her and she nodded sagely, reaching out to take my hand. I didn't really understand what was with the weird look she was giving me, but brushed it off for the most part.

"Don't go ruining my reputation there, dollface." The ghoul denied my explanation with a smirk and a tilt of his hat, keeping his face mostly hidden from my view. I smiled at him with a bit more glee than I probably should have, and was about to continue my rambling before his finger connected with my lips. Pouting a bit, I furrowed my brow at him, about to talk around his offending appendage, only to be interrupted by his lips touching mine softly. His hand was gently cupping my cheek, running an oddly textured thumb across my face; I felt my eyes fluttered closed at the unexpected feeling.

I'd never imagined what kissing a ghoul would be like. Then again, I'd never imagined what kissing anyone would be like. But the sensation wasn't unpleasant, and I was still in a state of shock when he pulled away from me, looking towards the entrance of the alley his bodyguard had disappeared down. I gaped at him, not as disgusted as I imagined most people would have been, but instead acutely aware of how my body had responded to it.

"Whoa." I mumbled out, barely audible as he got up and walked away, wide eyes fixated on where he'd been sitting as my free hand came up to touch my lips.

Of course, then it occurred to me that I couldn't remember if I had kissed him back or not, and my heart plummeted.


	4. Chapter 4

"Why did he kiss me?" I demanded, blurting the question out to Nate as he opened his front door in the settlement of Sanctuary. It was the wee hours of the morning, and after a week of pondering over the awkward exchange, I decided to go ask the one person I thought might have the answers I needed without embarrassing myself and confronting Hancock. I'd been over most of the possibilities I could come up with in my head, but I couldn't stand not actually knowing. The Sole Survivor blinked deliriously at me, looking annoyed I had interrupted his sleep.

"Who?" He finally asked and I felt my face heat with embarrassment, throwing my hands in the air as I paced a small circle in front of him.

"Hancock!" I squeaked his name, flustered even to say it. Nate blinked a few times, seeming to process this information before his face lit up in amusement.

"Hancock kissed you?" He snickered at my glare.

"That's what I said! And I don't even… understand…" I trailed off in a squeak, borderline hysterical again thinking about it. It really was an overreaction to what had been a strange situation that ended even stranger. The ghoul had a sort of far-off look after that and once we got to Goodneighbor and got me some clothes, I hadn't seen him again. Ever understanding, Nate eyed me for a long moment before letting out a sigh and stepping aside so I could enter his home.

"You've never been kissed before, I take it?" I stiffened, turning to give him a dark look as I crossed my arms over my chest defensively and settled in on his couch.

"I didn't say that." I mumbled, shifting a bit uncomfortably. Nate rubbed a hand over his face, letting out a bit of a groan. He looked heavenward for a moment, before stalking to what I assumed was meant to simulate his kitchen and returned with two bottles of purified water. Rather than look at him, I drank some of the water as he sank into the chair across from me. After a moment, he asked me to give him some context and I hesitantly launched into the story of how I had shot to men half-naked and stoned out of my mind, and Hancock – well, more his bodyguard – had helped me escape with my new friend Katherine.

"So you kissed him first?" He clarified, lighting a cigarette when I eventually trailed off and I stiffened a bit.

"But it wasn't romantic! I just…" I hadn't even considered the fact I may have sent him the signal that I _wanted_ to be kissed. Had I wanted to be kissed? Thinking back on it, I couldn't really map out exactly what I'd been thinking at all, only that I had made a fool of myself running around naked and rambling stoned out of my mind.

"Oh, no, I get it." Nate grinned, taking a drag of his cigarette. "First time on chems, all that adrenaline, and then relief, and Hancock was there like your knight in shining armor. Makes complete sense you'd put the moves on him." I spluttered at his blunt assessment of the situation, flushed pink as I rubbed my arm.

"It wasn't like that." Insisting, I took another drink of my water, my mouth suddenly dry. I totally hadn't been hitting on Hancock. At least, not intentionally.

"Sure, kid." I bristled at his easy tone, gritting my teeth. "But as for your question, Hancock has been known to be a bit of a…" He paused, clearly trying to find a polite way of putting whatever it was he was saying. "Anyway, look, I'd advise you not to get too worked up over it. Just chalk it up to a misunderstanding and call it a day."


End file.
